...In the Meantimehttp://www.davidlose.net
Where Faith Meets Everyday LifeTue, 31 Mar 2015 11:51:18 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1John 19:35http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-35/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-35/#commentsTue, 31 Mar 2015 11:45:32 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9597(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) This is an interesting insertion, isn’t it? And not just an insertion, really, but actually an interruption. John’s attestation that the one who witnessed these things is testifying truly interrupts, even […]]]>

(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)

This is an interesting insertion, isn’t it? And not just an insertion, really, but actually an interruption. John’s attestation that the one who witnessed these things is testifying truly interrupts, even disrupts, the narrative flow of the story and comes between the description of the centurions’ treatment of Jesus and John’s typical connection of these events to Israel’s story.

Why does he do this? Perhaps it’s simply because the events he describes are so hard to believe: that the one who was rejected by the religious authorities and put to death by the state is the one God worked through to redeem the world. And so in the middle of this death scene, John inserts a reminder that, indeed, these events are not mere hearsay and the one who witnessed them is telling the truth about them.

And who is the one testifying? It’s easy to assume that it’s the author, the one we call John, although he doesn’t identify himself. I’ve suggested earlier that much of the material woven together to form this gospel may have come from the preaching of a disciple of Jesus, likely one not as well known the Twelve. This disciple is the one identified in John’s Passion story as “the disciple Jesus loved” and was likely the one who founded the community for whom John now writes and whose witness served as the inspiration for this distinctive gospel. And so calling to mind the fidelity of this witness would then further bolster the faith of those reading John’s Gospel, as they are reminded of the preacher who first gathered them around the good news.

Of course, it’s not just the events being described that the faithful witness recounts, but also their meaning. That is, the disciple and preacher who gathered this early Christian community and whom John recalls perceived truly that in this one forsaken by the religious and political authorities, God was working to redeem all of us and, indeed, the whole world. And that’s what Scripture is always about. Not just what happened, but why it matters. Not just facts of history, but confessions of faith. For anyone can say, “Jesus died,” but only the believer can say, “Jesus died to demonstrate God’s love and to redeem the world.”

That is the confession John makes, and it’s the confession he hopes we make as well after hearing his testimony.

Prayer: Dear God, when we look upon your love for the world demonstrated in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, inspire us to witness to our faith in word and deed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-35/feed/0Easter B: Only the Beginninghttp://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/easter-b-only-the-beginning/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/easter-b-only-the-beginning/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 17:41:49 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9589Dear Partner in Preaching, I’ll be completely honest and just admit that I totally sympathize with the monks. The monks, that is, who just couldn’t believe that Mark really ended at verse 16:8a in such an awkward, unsatisfying, and distressingly incomplete way. Here’s what we know about this ending: Although there are numerous later manuscripts […]]]>

Dear Partner in Preaching,

I’ll be completely honest and just admit that I totally sympathize with the monks. The monks, that is, who just couldn’t believe that Mark really ended at verse 16:8a in such an awkward, unsatisfying, and distressingly incomplete way.

Here’s what we know about this ending: Although there are numerous later manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel that have alternative and longer endings, all the earliest manuscripts end right here. Which means that this is most likely where Mark wanted his story to end, with a final sentence that is grammatically awkward, ending rather abruptly and with a preposition – an unusual construction in Greek as well as in English. Here’s what we also know: The women disciples – after hearing the good news of Jesus’ death and being commissioned to go and tell – utterly fail, leaving in fear and saying nothing to anyone. And, perhaps most distressing, here’s the last thing we know: if this is indeed the last part of Mark’s original story, then there is no scene with the resurrected Christ to confront the disciples’ doubt and call forth their faith.

It is, by all accounts, a really lousy ending. Which is why I’m sympathetic to those monks (or whoever it might have been) who perhaps were given the job of copying Mark’s Gospel and, upon reaching such an unsatisfactory conclusion to this otherwise tightly-paced, riveting and important story, decide to take matters into their own hands and add an ending (or two!) to clean things up. And so our Bibles have what has come to be called “A Shorter Ending to Mark” and “A Longer Ending to Mark” which tie a narrative and theological bow of sorts onto this abrupt ending in order to make it neat and tidy and to sound like the other gospels.

But let’s take seriously for a moment that Mark wasn’t just having writer’s block and so impatiently sent his manuscript off half-baked. Let’s imagine instead that Mark knew exactly what he was doing. That he crafted an incomplete ending by design. That he left the story hanging on this moment of failure and disappointment for a reason.

Why would he do that?

Maybe because he knew that no story about death and resurrection could possiblly have a neat and tidy ending. Maybe because he knew that readers of his Gospel, if they were paying attention, ought to be more than a little uncomfortable at the idea of this convicted criminal coming back to life. Maybe because he believed that this story isn’t over yet, and he writes an open ending to his gospel in order to invite us to jump in and take up our part in continuing it.

There is a persistent two-part pattern throughout Mark, you see, that comes to its climax in these last verses. The first part is that those who are closest to Jesus and should tell others about him often don’t. So the disciples hear Jesus predict his passion three times and regularly end up dazed, confused, and arguing about who is the greatest. Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah but completely misunderstands what that means and actually rebukes Jesus when we explains. Again and again those who should understand just don’t understand what is going on and so fail to share the good news.

The second part of the pattern is that those who do understand what’s going on and perceive who Jesus is aren’t reliable witnesses. Several of the various demons that Jesus casts out of people, for instance, instantly recognize Jesus and grasp the import of his ministry. But you can’t really count on a demon for a good testimony, can you? And the Roman Centurion, having just put Jesus to death, acknowledges him as the Son of God, but isn’t likely to share that news with anyone else.

And so this two-part pattern should prepare us for the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the desertion of his disciples, and finally even the failure of these women, who up to this point had proved the most faithful of his disciples. They are afraid, too afraid to speak of the wonders they have heard. And so Mark ends here, right here, inviting us the reader to pick up where these women left off and share the good news announced by the messenger at the empty tomb.

The story of what God is doing in and through Jesus isn’t over at the empty tomb, you see. It’s only just getting started. Resurrection isn’t a conclusion, it’s an invitation. And Jesus’ triumph over death, sin, and hate isn’t what Mark’s Gospel is all about. Rather, Mark’s Gospel is all about setting us up to live resurrection lives and continue the story of God’s redemption of the world.

Mark gives us a clue to that in the very first verse, in an opening sentence that is almost as abrupt and awkward as the closing one. Mark, you’ll remember, doesn’t give us the long genealogy of Matthew; the tender story of shepherds, angels, and a mother and her newborn together in a stable as in Luke; or the theologically soaring and totally wonderful hymn to the Word made flesh of John. Rather, Mark says simply, even pointedly, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Goodness gracious, but that doesn’t even sound like an introduction (and, indeed, some have wondered if it was Mark’s title rather than opening line). But the key thing here is that Marks says straight off that all of Mark’s writing is only the beginning of the good news of what God has done and is still doing for the world through Jesus the Christ.

It’s only the beginning; this story isn’t over. It’s only the beginning, and we have a part to play. It’s only the beginning, and if you wonder why there is still so much distress and pain in the world, it’s because God’s not done yet. It’s only the beginning, and Mark is inviting us to get out of our seats and into the game, sharing the good news of Jesus’ complete identification with those who suffering and his triumph over injustice and death with everyone we meet. It’s only the beginning, and we’re empowered and equipped to work for the good in all situations because we trust God’s promises that all will in time come to a good end even when we can’t see evidence of that.

It’s only the beginning….

This is the word we’re invited to offer, Dear Partner, this and every week. That what we read, preach, and confess is only the beginning, and the rest – and perhaps even the best – of this story is unfolding before our eyes and, indeed, through our lives. Please know of my tremendous gratitude for your consistent, faithful, and steadfast proclamation of this word of resurrection and grace. Thank you and, even more, thank God for you on this Easter Sunday.

Yours in Christ,
David

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/easter-b-only-the-beginning/feed/0John 19:31-34http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-31-34/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-31-34/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 17:02:21 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9586Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs […]]]>

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed.Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.

A reminder, from John, that we are not yet at Passover, but the day before, the day of Preparation, the day on which the Passover lambs are sacrificed or, in this case, the day when the Passover Lamb is sacrificed. A part of this timetable that is unique to John, as we’ve noticed, is the symbolic and theological interpretation of what is happening at the cross and of what it means for John’s community and for us. For with the death of Jesus on the cross, we’ve come full circle to the first public act of Jesus when he drove the moneychangers from the Temple because sacrifice was no longer necessary.

John’s theological aim and confession in all of this? In short, to tell us that God has drawn near to us in the Word made flesh to demonstrate to us that God loves the world – the whole world – to the point of giving his life for that world so that all who desire have access to grace upon grace through faith in Christ.

In addition to the theological and symbolic importance of Jesus’ death falling on the day of Preparation, there is also a practical element regarding the concern of the religious authorities about having to remove the bodies before the beginning of both Sabbath and Passover that evening. As the Sabbath precludes work, the grisly task of removing the bodies had to be completed before Sabbath commenced that evening.

And so the soldiers come to break the legs of those who had been crucified in order to speed up their deaths. But when they come to Jesus, they see that he has already died and so they don’t break his legs. Instead, one soldier pierces Jesus’ side. Why he does that – to ensure that he’s dead, out of malice, for a last insult to this pretender to the throne? – that we don’t know. What we do know is that Jesus is dead. His life has expired. His earthly existence is over.

And the rest of the story about Jesus, the one confessed as Christ, is about to begin….

Prayer: Dear God, when we hear the story of the death of Jesus, let us be reminded that Jesus went to the cross to demonstrate your love and commitment to the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-31-34/feed/0Stillhttp://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/still/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/still/#commentsSat, 28 Mar 2015 17:24:00 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9578Christians have a reputation for being uncomfortable with sensuality and desire. Unfortunately, it’s not an entirely undeserved reputation. From Paul’s admonition that only those who are being consumed with uncontrollable passion should marry – and it’s easy to forget that as he said this he thought the end of the world was coming any minute […]]]>

Christians have a reputation for being uncomfortable with sensuality and desire. Unfortunately, it’s not an entirely undeserved reputation. From Paul’s admonition that only those who are being consumed with uncontrollable passion should marry – and it’s easy to forget that as he said this he thought the end of the world was coming any minute – to Augustine’s projection of his own lack of self-control onto the theological world, too many Christian theologians have treated our bodies, desire, and sexuality as something dangerous and illicit.

Sexual desire is powerful, yes. But illicit? I think we confuse the two. Because desire is powerful we make rules and laws to encourage care. Fine. But we cross the border when we declare desire inherently wrong and our bodies objects of suspicion. Which is part of what I love about David Romtvedt’s poem “Still,” with its tender depiction of parents stealing moments of intimacy when the children are asleep and house still. The lines, “We pull our shirts over our heads / and toss them to the floor / and the only thing grotesque / is the space through which / we stumble each night” remind us that physical intimacy is one way – one of the more powerful ways – by which we seek to connect with each other and remind ourselves that we are not alone.

It occurs to me as we approach this week the Church calls “holy,” that one of things we give thanks for is that Jesus came to us in the flesh – flesh like ours – to redeem in us in, not from, the flesh, that we may receive each other back again not as objects to be possessed but as persons to enjoy, cherish, and take delight in. And as I read this poem celebrating just this kind of delight and communion, I imagined I heard the God who created us as sensual beings say once more, “It is good.”

Still

The children are sleeping and the cows and chickens are sleeping, and the grass itself is sleeping. The machines are off and the neighbor’s lights, a half mile away, are out, and the moon is hanging like a powdered face in a darkened room, and the snow is shining under stars the way we are shining here in our cold skins under warm quilts. We pull our shirts over our heads and toss them to the floor and the only thing grotesque is the space through which we stumble each night. I roll to you and put my hand on your skin. You shiver and smile, “Cold. But not too cold. Some cold I like.” And draw my hand closer. I pull it away and jam it in my armpit, and while I wait for the blood I look at you, admire your face, your neck and breasts, your belly and thighs, the shadowy double of you thrown by candlelight to the wall— There is no season, no grass gone brown, no cold, and no one to say we are anything but beautiful, swimming together across the wide channel of night.

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/still/feed/0John 19:30http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-30/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-30/#commentsSat, 28 Mar 2015 12:25:55 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9572When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. After Jesus received the wine offered him on a hyssop branch, pulling together the two major strands of Israel’s story, he says words that, in my humble opinion ☺, are translated so weakly it […]]]>

When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

After Jesus received the wine offered him on a hyssop branch, pulling together the two major strands of Israel’s story, he says words that, in my humble opinion ☺, are translated so weakly it almost drives me to distraction. The Greek word that John uses can indeed be translated as “finished,” but it is has much more the sense of something being accomplished, something being drawn to a fitting conclusion, of achieving its intended purpose.

In short, Jesus is saying that everything that he was sent to do on earth has now been completed. His mission, that is, has been accomplished. Which means that far from Jesus crying out in agony in despair from the cross, he dies with a shout of victory on his lips.

And then, now that all has been accomplished, his life does not merely slip away; nor is it torn from him. Rather, he gives over his spirit, calling to mind his earlier words when he described himself as the good shepherd:

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again (John 10:17b-18).

Jesus does not surrender or give up or give in to despair. He embraces the cross as his divinely appointed mission, trusting that the One who commissioned him to give his life will also give it back to him.

The cross, in John’s Gospel, is the moment of supreme victory, the place where Jesus takes on all that threatens humanity – sin, death, and the devil – and defeats them, promising all who follow him that they, too, will share in Jesus’ triumph.

The cross as victory — two thousand years later, this is still difficult to grasp or accept. That sometimes suffering can lead to healing, that death is not as powerful as life, and that what we see as defeat may be God’s means of accomplishing victory. But there it is: Jesus’ defiant, triumphant cry that, in his cross, everything that God had purposed comes to its intended end.

Prayer: Dear God, let us look for your gracious activity even in the most difficult times of our lives, knowing that you do not desire or cause harm to happen and trusting that there is no situation which you cannot redeem and turn to victory and life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-30/feed/0Friday Fun: The Dummy of Aberystwythhttp://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/friday-fun-the-dummy-of-aberystwyth/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/friday-fun-the-dummy-of-aberystwyth/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 13:18:07 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9565Sometimes, you just need to kick back a little and take time to smile. And that’s what this video is about. No deep reflection – or shallow reflections either, for that matter – no symbolism, no ulterior motive, just a little fun. A year or two ago I posted a video by Anton Hecht, an […]]]>

Sometimes, you just need to kick back a little and take time to smile. And that’s what this video is about. No deep reflection – or shallow reflections either, for that matter – no symbolism, no ulterior motive, just a little fun.

A year or two ago I posted a video by Anton Hecht, an artist and indie filmmaker in Britain who, among many things, specializes in what I would describe as “community art” – making art and film by engaging community members in, for instance, playing the paino in a bus station or playing the harmonica in the cause of civic wellness. Anton got in touch to say thank you and since then he often drops me a note when he releases a new video and more often than not I post it, usually on a Friday as I’m ready for a bit of recreation at the end of a long week. This particular video was created as part of an installation at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre gallery in Wales where he engaged the community to help him make a fairly elaborate stop-action video.

And as you’ll see if you watch it, there is no particular “point”; it’s simply fun.

But it does get one thinking…. What is it about us as a species that we don’t just like art (and, yes, I see this as a form of art), but actually need it. That is, why would anyone go to the serious lengths it took to make this 3 1/2 minute video for, well, 3 1/2 minutes of fun? Or, to put it another way, what purpose does art play in our lives? What needs does it meet? Why do we engage in this rather frivolous activity that also, curiously, can bring such delight, even joy, to our lives?

I think we value art – high art, pop art, art that makes you cry, wonder, or laugh – because we are inherently creative and seek to connect with others via our imagination. Perhaps this is what it means when in Genesis it says, “Let us create humans in our image.” Maybe that is the elusive imago Dei (image of God) – our nature as creative beings that deeply want to create in order to share ourselves and connect with others. And maybe that tells us something about God, too; that God creates out of a desire to share and connect.

Oops! I promised no reflections – you can decide whether they’re shallow or deep – and yet there I go again. Well, maybe that’s part of my nature. Enjoy Anton’s work and have a great Friday and weekend!

Note: If you receive this post by email, you may need to click on the title at the top of the post in order to watch the video.

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/friday-fun-the-dummy-of-aberystwyth/feed/3John 19:28-29http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-28-29/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-28-29/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 12:42:02 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9560After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. Two themes that have been important […]]]>

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.

Two themes that have been important to John come to the fore as we approach the climax of Jesus’ struggle and victory. And, as John will soon make abundantly clear, it is a victory. As his earthly life and ministry draw to a fitting conclusion – probably a better translation of the Greek than simply “finished” – Jesus once again fulfills prophecy.

But what prophecy? For an answer to that question, we turn again to the 22nd Psalm, a passage that figured prominently in John’s understanding that Jesus’ life and death are best understood in light of God’s ongoing commitment to Israel.

Earlier we saw John shape his narrative of the soldiers dividing Jesus’ clothes in light of this Psalm, and again he looks to this passage to describe Jesus’ last moments. For in these verses the Psalmist – tradition suggested it was King David – described his suffering and torment before being delivered by God, at one point saying “my mouth has dried up like a potsherd and my tongue sticks to my jaws” (Ps. 22:15). In this sense, Jesus is living out the experience of David, which means that his thirst isn’t simply an identification with our thirsts, but rather demonstrates his complete embrace of his identity as David’s heir.

But if the story of David, read through the Psalms, is one element of Israel’s story that John reclaims and reinterprets, the other is the Exodus story. Earlier we noticed that John placed Jesus’ death not on Passover itself – as do Matthew, Mark, and Luke – but instead on the Day of Preparation just before Passover because it was on this day that the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. And once again imagery from the Passover informs John’s description. For the sponge of wine offered to Jesus comes on a branch of hyssop. But hyssop is a flowering herb (as in the post image), connected to the mint family of herbs, and no branch would have been able to support a sponge. It would be kind of like saying, “they put the sponge on a branch of parsley” – it just wouldn’t hold up. Then why tell the story this way? Because hyssop played a key part in the very first Passover. Using the leaf-strewn hyssop branches like a paintbrush, the captive Israelites’ marked their doors with the blood of the Passover lambs so that the angel of death would pass over their homes (Ex. 12:22).

So here, as Jesus’ mission draws to its close, John pulls together the stories of David and the Exodus – the two most important stories in Israel’s history – in order to demonstrate that Israel’s God was again coming to redeem them and, indeed, all the world.

Prayer: Dear God, enable us see our lives as the continuation of the story of your faithfulness to Israel and the early Church, that we may trust your promises and walk by faith alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-28-29/feed/0John 19:26-27http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-26-27/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-26-27/#commentsThu, 26 Mar 2015 17:09:45 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9555When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. John introduces his readers to the “disciple Jesus loved” during […]]]>

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.”Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

John introduces his readers to the “disciple Jesus loved” during the last meal Jesus shares with his disciples. He is never identified, and believers have wondered whether this might indeed be the disciple called John for whom the Gospel is presumably named (although it would seem odd to name John at some points in the story and call him “the disciple Jesus loved” at others). Others have wondered if this might be Lazarus, as he is the only character in the story identified as someone Jesus loves and he slips away from the story just as the “disciple Jesus’ loved” appears.

Mostly likely, this disciple was the founder of this particular Christian community, the original witness that brought his testimony to this synagogue and the leader who first fashioned them into a thriving community. It might even be this leader’s recollections, testimony, and sermons that are primary sources, along with materials likely shared by the other evangelists, that form the backbone of John’s Gospel. Who knows?

What we do know is that he – the beloved disciple – remains by Jesus’ side along with the women until the end.

We also know that, true to John’s picture of a victorious Christ, Jesus, far from languishing on the cross, is giving orders. He commands his mother to take this disciple as her son and for this disciple to take her as his mother. And of course they do. But far from merely portraying Jesus exercising his executive ability from the throne of his cross, John also paints a picture of the coming Christian community as being a family, a family joined not simply by blood but by shared faith in the crucified and risen Christ.

This was, I suspect, first received as a tremendous comfort to those early Christians who had not only been expelled from their local synagogue but likely lost relationships with family members along the way. And it might still provide comfort in a world where more and more people feel simultaneously very connected yet remarkably lonely. When we gather at worship and in service with others who follow the way of Jesus, we are each and every time being received once again into the body of Christ and family of God.

Prayer: Dear God, remind us that those with whom we gather are our brothers and sisters in faith that we might know ourselves to be part of your family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-26-27/feed/0Design Thinkinghttp://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/design-thinking/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/design-thinking/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 18:15:44 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9546I couldn’t decide whether to put this post under the category of “leadership” or “creativity,” so I finally put it under both. (I know, I know, this shouldn’t be a big decision, but there you go….) Here’s why it’s in both. I think one of the most difficult things for leaders is to imagine something […]]]>

I couldn’t decide whether to put this post under the category of “leadership” or “creativity,” so I finally put it under both. (I know, I know, this shouldn’t be a big decision, but there you go….)

Here’s why it’s in both. I think one of the most difficult things for leaders is to imagine something that is beyond our own experience. Actually, I think this is true of all of us. More often than not, the futures we imagine are slightly idealized versions of our pasts, and the solutions we come up with are essentially things we’ve seen work elsewhere or, even more likely, it’s answers we’ve tried before with hopes that this time around they’ll work better.

This makes complete sense when you think about it: we take the tools we know and the experiences we’ve had and apply that to problems in front us. It makes sense and often works reasonably well. Except, that is, when we’re in situations of adaptive change. Situations – as we’ve talked about before – that enough in the context has changed so that the old assumptions and rules don’t apply.

Right now, there are a whole lot of congregations, seminaries, businesses, and other groups caught up in this kind of massive cultural change and the challenge of a leader is to avoid doing what we’ve always done but a little bit better – because it won’t work! – and dream things we’ve never experienced before.

One of the routes to move in that direction that I’ve found most helpful in this regard is what’s sometimes called “Design Thinking.” It’s an approach that begins at the end. That is, not with where we are and where we want to do – or what problem we have, for that matter – but instead by asking what kind of impact or outcome we want to have and, quite importantly, who we want to have that impact on. It then moves through various phases of exploring possibilities with folks interested in what we’re interested in (but not necessarily in our group), trying out multiple small-scale experiments and learning from those, and being committed to multiple iterations and upgrades. Despite what folks may tell you, there is no one way to do design thinking, although there is one common thread – 1) start with your audience and desired outcomes and work backwards to where you are now and 2) have a high tolerance for making mistakes and learning from them.

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]]>http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/design-thinking/feed/1John 19:25bhttp://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-25b/
http://www.davidlose.net/2015/03/john-19-25b/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 17:59:52 +0000http://www.davidlose.net/?p=9543Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. It’s always the women. Have you noticed that? In each of the four Gospel accounts, it is only the women who remain with Jesus to the end. Judas betrays, Peter denies, and the […]]]>

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

It’s always the women.

Have you noticed that? In each of the four Gospel accounts, it is only the women who remain with Jesus to the end. Judas betrays, Peter denies, and the rest desert and flee Jesus in his time of need. Except the women, who remain with Jesus until the end.

John – naturally, after all this is John we’re talking about – tells it a little differently. As we’ll see soon enough, in John’s account there is one male disciple who remains, and we’ll get to that part in just a moment.

But for now, let’s just notice that it’s the women who remain, the women who don’t run, the women who bear witness, both now at the foot of the cross and again at the empty tomb, as the women are the first heralds of the resurrection as well.

Which makes me wonder…. For while I have tremendous respect for the variety of Christian traditions in the Church, I also grieve that women too often are overlooked for positions of leadership, are not considered eligible for particular roles, and do not receive the level of responsibility that they not only can handle but at which they would excel.

Here – and indeed throughout the Gospels – it is the women who prove the most faithful of disciples. Perhaps this is something to which we should pay closer attention.

Prayer: Let us recognize and celebrate the gifts of the women of the Church of all times and places and advocate that they can exercise their gifts fully and freely for the sake of the Church and world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.